thoughtspot

I have been to a lot of museums in the last couple of months. Many of them were interesting. Most of them were air conditioned. All of them were filled with old things. Paintings, chairs, armor. Everything on display either in danger of falling apart or freshly returned from the restoration room.

Coming from a toddler nation, such age was something I had been looking for. While we certainly don’t lack a sense of history (Democracy, Slavery, War, Science, Jazz), there is a lack of Ancient History (ignoring that of the civilizations we destroyed). But after two months of Old, I was ready for NEW. Thank goodness for the Venice Biennale Art Show . Every two years, countries from all over the world send their most innovative, cutting edge art nerds to decorate and destroy prearranged buildings.

As no one who has seen an Ingmar Bergman film will be surprised to learn, the Scandinavians excelled at capturing the beauty of life while focusing on its inevitable end. In the show’s first intercountry presentation, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden combined their efforts to create a neighborhood of art collectors. The David Hockneyesque painting in the dining room contrasted starkly with the dead man out front.

Across the street, Russia attempted to win a prize for “Most Russian Title.” Their huge declarative sign “Victory Over the Future” seemed to do the trick. Inside, at least one artist seemed more focused on the past. In my favorite piece, dozens of glass balls hung from the ceiling. Dime sized photos of the 20th century’s most influential people were pinned all over the black walls. Viewed from the correct angles, they came into focus.

If the measure of art were how long the viewer was compelled to stare, then Australia would have knocked over the scales. Projected onto a hanging screen from two sides, a car drives toward the horizon. On one side it is noon, the harsh light from overhead shortens the shadows and nearly washes out the colors. On the other, light through the clouds turns the orange landscape purple as night approaches. Shot in slow motion, dust shoots back from tires. While unverifiable, there is the impression that the car travels at great speeds. The mountains in the distance seem infinitely far away. Like a 1980′s arcade car race, the camera follows from a single distance, the vehicle framed in the bottom third of the screen. After some time, a driver emerges and proceeds to climb on the roof. The battle between balance and chaos is played out in the most literal of ways.

Nearly everyone who walked into the room stayed. Not until the driver, apparently the same in both projections, had climbed back into the car and escaped into the distance could they tear their eyes away.
Beyond the formal qualities found in Shaun Gladwell’s videos, lie the consciously Australian landscape and subject matter. The setting couldn’t be mistaken for anywhere else in the world. The car is modeled after a car in Mad Max. And in a companion piece, the driver even picks up a kangaroo road kill victim. With these themes rooted in the visuals, the stunt moves beyond mere spectacle.

A thunderstorm broke out in the middle of the day, sending thousands of art enthusiasts scurrying for cover. I tried to take refuge in the American building, but found it already overflowing. People pushing, begging, sneaking their way in, I consider it an acceptable overstatement that it was reminiscent of footage of the last U.S. helicopter pulling out of Vietnam. Luckily I was able to seek asylum in Hungary. Much like the Russians, these artists focused on the past. Footage of prisoners from World War II spread across a 10×6 grid. Each framed in a portrait, their heads spinning slowly.

In another room, backlit photographs slowly revealed they weren’t photographs at all. Rather, a series of portraits linked together. In real time the effect was similar to that in Le Jette. Though composed almost entirely of stills, in a key scene a character is animated for less then a second, creating a moment that is both fleeting and eternal.

Coming soon will be part II of this art world round-up. Among the many treasures yet to be displayed and critiqued